Talonheart
by Nile Black
Summary: A new threat puts the entire of Atmos in the dangerous clutches of Cyclonis, with the Stormhawks nowhere to be seen. The group will find an ally and lose a friend in their most damaging battle yet. And, as the leader, Aerrow has to make a heartbreaking choice that could leave him broken for the rest of his days.


_The Talonhearts were no ordinary squadron. Within three days, they'd taken three Terras for Master Cyclonis, and showed on sign of stopping. Even the Stormhawks hadn't been a match for them, having quickly dispatched all members of that motley crew within a day, leaving their ship on Terra Mort for mercenaries to pick clean. And now, the group of Cyclonians were gliding through the air to their next target- Terra Aqua- with no one to stop them. _

Stormhawks POV- Piper

All was dark under the black sun of Terra Mort. I couldn't see an inch in front of me, let alone look for my friends. All I'd managed to scrape from the wreck of the Condor was my staff and one of Stork's saucepans, which were hiding along with me in a cavern bashed into a rocky hillside. At least, I thought it was a hillside, although, knowing my luck, it could have been a ginormous mouth, full of stone teeth. But, then again, it wasn't like I had any better places to go. I could barely walk. My left leg was a tangled mess of tendons and blood. I'd bound it as tightly as I could, but I was still losing blood. I felt it dripping from my leg in an irregular stream.

I don't even know how it had got like this. I guessed it was from that captain. The Talonhearts' captain. Aerrow had foolishly left me to deal with that dark skyknight, even though he knew I wouldn't be a match for her. He'd been too busy chasing that pretty little engineer instead. That captain's axe had gone straight to my legs, and once I'd fallen over, she'd just kept hacking until the ship had crashed. I'd never known such absolutely agony like that, and its echoes still pulsed through my body even now. I was in pain, unable to move, and alone.

Talonhearts POV- Redd

Captain Neema's hands were slick in that Stormhawk's blood, but she still insisted on steering the ship, making the wheel crimson and ugly. "What are you staring at, Redd?" Neema may have been facing away from me; however, she could still see me. She had a third-eye crystal wrapped around her necklace on an ornate chain. How else would we win every battle unless we'd seen it before?

I averted my eyes from the captain's slivery hair. "Nothing, Ma'am. Just wondering how you got your bob looking so stunning." She chuckled and shook her head. "Why don't you go and check on the others for me?" Although she asked it like a favour, I knew it was a command. I got up from my seat silently and sauntered over towards the living area. "Oh, and Redd?" The captain spoke with venom as I stepped through the opening door. "The next time you think about the Stormhawks, I'll slit you open and tear out your spine. Understood?"

She couldn't have been clearer.

The living area was a spacious area of our nameless ship, dedicated to relaxation. This was very odd, considering how the captain hated laziness. I wasn't going to knock that privilege though. Two curved, worn sofas circled an oval table, topped in homely cluttered. The chairs had cushions haphazardly thrown onto them, as well as three figures currently lounging all over them, snoring gently. I smiled mischievously, approaching the nearest figure. It was Raff. He was a tall boy, skinny, but muscly at the same time. His hair was a blinding shade of blue and he was dribbling. He stirred from his slumber when I gently poked him on the nose. "Whaaaa-what?" He gurgled, still half asleep. I stroke his cheek. "Awww, you still tired, handsome?" He mumbled something that sounded like yes and I grinned wider still. "You want to rest some more?" Raff nodded. "GET UP THIS INSTANT, YOU LAYABOUT!"

He jumped up like an electrocuted cat, and yowling like one as well. The other two people lying around also started awake. That pair were the twins. One was a girl- Rhodden, one was a boy- Abe, but they both had the same violet eyes, wispy brown hair and violent nature. Obviously Rhodden had longer hair than her brother, and she pulled it back into a curling plait, tied with barbed wire. Raff, having come back to his senses, glared at me with all the sleepy malevolence he could muster. "Raff. You look as intimidating as a fish." He pouted sulkily at me. "You sweet talked me." I smirked. "And you were stupid enough to believe it." The twins snickered in the background of our argument, but we barely noticed it. What we did notice was the captain shrieking down the intercom: "ALL OF YOU 'ORRIBLE LOT, GET UP HERE! WE'VE NEARLY REACHED OUR NEXT…-" Neema giggled "…. DESTINATION"

Stormhawks POV- Piper

I'd lost count of how many hours I guessed I'd been in the cave when he found me. I'd cried for a bit when I gave up all hope of being rescued, but I had stopped in the end when I realised tears wouldn't get me anywhere. It wasn't long after that that a light appeared in the darkness of the back of the cavern. A shadow followed, distorted by a flickering candle. His footsteps were loud and had this weird kind of slimy thud to them, meaning it could only be one person. But not the one I wanted. "Stork?" I whispered into the dark. My assumption was confirmed by the paranoid mutterings that acted as a response. "Great. Cave ghosts. Might as well jump off the edge of the Terra. I'm going to die down here any-" I screamed in joy: "Stork! It is you! I'm here! I'm here!"

"Piper?" Came the gloomy reply. "I'm so glad you're here…. Where are you?" The light twisted as Stork turned around, looking for me. "Here. Come forwards some more." Black spots danced in front of my eyes as they adjusted to the new phosphoresce. Stork gasped as the light touched my leg. "Piper…. You're doomed. What happened to your leg?" He poked my wound with one of his spindly toes. I hissed in pain. "It was the Talonheart captain." He started murmuring again, worriedly, occasionally glancing at my leg nervously. "Can you wal- No, no, Stork, of course she can't walk, idiot-" He began to mutter again, so I tried standing up in order to stop him. "I can walk" I huffed indignantly, but as I put weight on my leg, a crippling knife of red hot pain ricocheted down it. I gasped, and fell to the floor, groaning as the spasm slowly passed. Stork ran to my side. I tried to move. I couldn't. I tried again. "Stork, I can't stand up. I can't move. Stork, I can't move."

My voice repeated itself over and over again, bouncing off the cavern walls until Stork stared into my fear glazed eyes. "Piper. I was looking around these tunnels for Aerrow and the others. I found them earlier and came looking for you. I know where the others are. I'm going back to get them so they can carry you to the surface. But I'm going to have to leave you here for a bit." Irrational tears welled up into my eyes again. "Okay. Hurry….." He nodded grimly at me, then turned and ran back from where he came.

Soon, only blackness remained. And, although he was gone, I felt I needed to finish my sentence. "….. I don't have much time left." And with that, I passed out.

_The poor little stormhawk was left all alone in the old mining tunnel. Her vessel rested on the earth above her, creaking in a breeze. It was mostly undamaged now. The males in the squadron, and their skyknight had been busy repairing it, and they were ready to leave. They just needed their little female friend. Too bad they wouldn't get her back on that ship alive. Blood loss would see to that. _

Talonheart POV- Neema

Master Cyclonis would be pleased. Terra Aqua was theirs for the taking. The battle had been bloody, but after Rhodden had used the lightening crystal; well, lightening and water didn't bode well for the inhabitants of the Terra. This place would be a good outpost for a Cyclonian prison. Yes, I would be rewarded for this victory. Maybe I'd be allowed to see my family. Or maybe not. It had been so long since Master Cyclonis had last allowed me to visit, maybe they'd forgotten me.

"Hey, boss, we found a new solar crystal." Abe handed me a glowing yellow stone. It was so beautiful. Like sunlight captured in glass, forever. I composed myself. That was a weak though I couldn't allowed in. "Well done, Abe. Time to go, I think. Where's Redd?" He looked around for that familiar mass of ginger curls and pale skin, before grunting: "I don't know, Ma'am." I growled and stalked away to look for her. Everyone else was too dumb to find Redd.

Three hours later, I found her. She was on a rocky outcrop, stroking the hair of a dead Mermaid- one of the Terra's locals. She was sobbing softly, apologizing to the corpse over and over again, acting like a mewling infant. I grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her away from the body, giving her a good choking in the process. I slapped her around the head with my metal supported gloves. "What are you playing at, girl?!" Redd choked up, turning a vivid scarlet. "Uh. Um. Ah. Well, you see, Captain Neema…" I hit her this time, satisfied as my knuckles crunched into her cheek. "I don't care," I snarled. "Get back to the ship."

Back on board the ship, I plastered on a fake grin. "Great work, folks. With all the bounty we've got- it doesn't matter if some goes missing…. TONIGHT, WE CELEBRATE OUR VICTORY!" Everyone cheered. Everyone except Redd. I glared at her with furious malice, and she was soon cheering too, her right hand hidden behind her back. That didn't stop me from noticing the seaweed she'd been playing with tangled in her fingers.

_ The shadows were creeping around the young Stormhawk. After her betrayal, she was almost ready. But not quite. Just a few more hours. She was nearly there, almost baked to perfection, like a piece of meat. Soon, the poison from the Captain's blade would have finished its wok and she would be one of them. Just another Talonheart. _


End file.
